St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-25

VI of lecture given by
Bayard Taylor under the auspices of
the association. With this small fund
a few books were purchased and placed
in the book store of Th. Hale Will
Jams for the benefit of the members. A
subscription was started to buy ground
and erect a building. BY 1886 some
81, 900 had been collected. With this a
site was purchased for $500, and the
present building, at 2l5 Hennepin ave-
nue., erected. Mr.. Williams, who had
formerly been in charge, OF the ,athe-
naum at Providence, X. l., was chosen
librarian. He continued in the posi-
ton till his resignation in 1880.
In 1870, on the death of DR.. Kirby
Spencer, the athen9um was the recip-
lent of a bequest, which substantially
increased the resources of the society.
The proceeds, paid over each year, and
destined solely for the purchase Of
books, amounted at first to but few
hundred dollars, but gradually augment
ing with increasing values they have now
reached nearly $1,000 per year. With
this large book fund, however, the other
income did not keep pace. Of the l, 100
shares of stock authorized by the char
ter less than 600 had been taken up.
The bonded Indebtedness contracted
for the erection of the building still re-
manned unpaid to the amount of over
$1,000. The interest was in nearly every
case overdue. And the annual assess
ments on the stock, together with the
small rents realized from the lower pOr-
ton of the building, no longer sufficed
for the current expenses of the library.
The athen8um had meantime under
taken to do public work. 1t had
opened its reading room free to all
corners, and it had issued two forms of
membership, which should make the
books more readily acceSSible-one per-
manent membership for 81, subject to- an
nual assessment like the stock; the other
a weekly membership, so cheap as to be
within the reach of every one. But for
this public service the association was
receiving not cent from the city.
BY 1884, therefore, its finances were
in way to be much crippled, with Ii
brary now of 1900 volumes, made
quate accommodations, and very made
Quate funds for current expenses. To
these embarrassmentS was added the
near certainty that free library would
be established by the city, which, by
withdrawing the shOrt-time subscribers
from the athen&um, would throw
still heavier burden on the remnant of
stockholders, already much reduced in
number. Already proposition for the
organization of free library was pend
ing in the council.
Happily the athen9um could profit
by the experience of other such asSocia-
lions similarly circumstanced. And it
did. On the establishment of the city
library board, in 1885, it was enabled to
secure an agreement by which the city
undertook to pay for the maintenance
of the athen&um collection, giving it
suitable accommodation in the public Ii
brary building on condition only that
the books should be freely accessible to
the public. By this agreement the
athen@um is still to enjoy the use as
we'll as the ownership of its books, but
without cost to its shareholders. 1t is
to have its special representative to
guard its interest in the public library,
an official whose salary is to be paid by
the city. Free from further financial
anxiety, it has been able to sell
its old building, pay off the
old bonded debt, contribute $4,000 to the
new city library building and still have
a few thousand dollars left over as an
emergency fund. Chiefest of all the adj
vantages in the eyes of those who have
the real welfare of the library at heart
is the prospect that the Spencer bequeSt
VIII HtI6dltCG De ulSpOS6u Vi III Il llldll-
ner more creditable 10 its donor, for a
large part of the incom from it has
heretofore been spent in light and
ephemereal literature. But under
the new arrangement such books
will naturally be purchased by
the city, as the Spencer fund may
be limited to the purchase of works of
standard value. The athen@um, in
short, instead of the merely average
collection of books it owns now, will in
a short time be the owner of great ref
erence library. As an association it
will continue to exist and exercise its
Independent rights. The agreement is
to endure for ninety-nine years. The
shares of stock meanwhile so far from
deteri0rating in value should rather in
crease. for the property of the corpora
ton will be constantly on the increase
without expense to itself, and yet the
shares themselves will be entirely free
from assessments.
Mr.. Williams was succeeded as libra
rian by r. W. Wing, who remained
until 1884, when the present librarian.
Herbert Putnam, took charge. The cir
culatiOn of the library last year was over
%, 900 volumes, with total active men,
berShip of but 800. The boord of direct
OrS are seven in number, reelected an
nually by the stockholders. j. E. Bell
has been president of the board for the
aSt seven wears